Analytical scientist Review

I really enjoyed my work placement as there was always something to do and really found that it benefitted me in deciding what I do and don't want to do in the future. I was always busy and working hard which was useful. I also really enjoyed meeting new people and students.

Most of my colleagues treated me as part of the team and always included me in team discussions, team events and spoke to me as if I was part of the team and a full time employee. There was a few periods where I felt I was treated like a student rather than a colleague.

My supervisor was always there to help if I needed it and he was always very approachable. Even if I thought the question sounded silly or stupid, my supervisor was always ready to answer the question and give whatever help he could so that I could continue to do my work.

In the beginning, it was a slow start and I mainly had to focus on doing all of my training. Then there was a period where I was waiting for some work to come my way, as my supervisor did not give me much. Eventually, I was very busy and was working all day most days.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement as I had the opportunity to plan my own experiments to benefit the project and be in the lab by myself without constantly being checked on. The responsibility I had helped me grow my self confidence and allowed me to become a more confident person overall.

The skills I have developed, such as public speaking, will really help me in the future as it has allowed me to be a lot more confident than I have previously been. The lab skills I have picked up will definitely help me when I go back to uni and also in the future when I enter full time employment.

In general, there was a very happy, hardworking and welcoming atmosphere. There was a usual chat in the atmosphere which kept me going through the day and overall my colleagues were very friendly. I never felt intimidated or awkward sat up in the office with all of my welcoming team.

At the beginning there were a few issues with how the placement was set up, as it was a new person taking over looking after the industrial placement students. However, it soon got going and was running smoothly. There were always lots of opportunities to provide feedback when it was needed.

The company made sure I was fully trained in every area that I wanted to work in as well as all of the equipment that I needed to work on my project. There was consistent meetings talking about my personal development throughout my year in my industrial placement year at gsk.

There was a programme which you could apply to which would help you get a fast track to leadership job within the company I was working with. There are also lots of graduate openings which we will be emailed about once we leave gsk and have graduated from university. This is useful.

Among the other students there was a good social scene and we managed to organise a few different events between us which involved going out, drinking, bowling, cinema etc. the students were all really social. We were also always invited to the team events which were also really fun and useful.

The area I worked in, surrey, is a relatively expensive place to live in. rent was expensive, but that's just the kind of area it is. Going out in surrey was also expensive as a lot of places had very high prices for drinks and food. Trains were also relatively expensive.

In the area I worked there were a few pubs in the near by area. There was also a regular train service into London, which of course has a very good night life. It could do with some more facilities around the area, rather than just a few expensive pubs.

There was a few different activities which went on outside of work, involving people who worked at the company. There was a football team which I got involved with and played a tournament for charity. There was also a few other sports opportunities such as badminton, rowing and running events.